Shackley gets green light for Hutch CC softball

With a runner on second and one out, the coaching staff asked Makenzi Shackley to be patient at the plate, enough to get a glimpse of the Tabor College junior varsity pitcher’s arsenal.

Shackley could not help herself. She swung anyway.

“That last hit, the triple, she goes, ‘Coach told me to take a pitch, but it was right down the middle,’” said Hutchinson Community College coach Jaime Rose.

Shackley pierced a triple into the outfield, plating Lacey Hudson to give the Blue Dragons a 1-0 lead – part of a three-run first inning.

“It was off the fat part of my bat, and I was just on cloud nine,” Shackley said. “It was so awesome.”

Is Shackley revolting against her coaches, denying advice and going with her own approach? Hardly. Hitters with this good of an eye get some leeway.

“She has the green light,” Rose said.

It seems to be doing Shackley, and the Blue Dragons, just fine. Shackley’s batting average is hovering around .450. She also has a knack for putting the ball in play, only striking out three times this season.

In the first game of the doubleheader with Tabor, Shackley did her duty, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, three RBIs and a run scored. Hutchinson took that game 9-6.

In the nightcap, Shackley’s triple was the start of an outpouring of offense for the Blue Dragons. They scored in every inning on their way to a 10-1 win in five innings.

Shackley enjoys the leniency she gets to swing away. She credits that for getting her in a groove at the plate.

“I just look for my first pitch,” Shackley said. “That’s usually what they throw me, is inside, and I just drive that.”

The coaching staff is rewarded with a player that has settled in in the heart of the Blue Dragon lineup. Shackley was a similar threat as a freshman, to the tune of a .444 average and a team-leading 43 RBIs. But that came at the price of discipline – she struck out 18 times and only walked on six occasions.

“She’s become a much smarter hitter this year, in a sense that she’s OK with a sac fly to score an RBI versus trying to muscle it over the fence,” Rose said.

If Shackley’s consistency continues, it will bode well for a Hutchinson offense that looks like it is hitting its stride. After starting the season 1-6, the Blue Dragons are 9-8 since.

“We were rocky at the very beginning, but we have finally built it up and gathered ourselves,” Shackley said. “We’re getting stronger. It’s piecing together, piece by piece.”